running

You know it was a good 3 day weekend when Monday night rolls around and you feel rested, relaxed, and ready to take on the rest of the week. And that’s exactly how Jordan and I felt, it was the perfect weekend. We didn’t have to much planned and even enjoyed a relaxing day up north with family. These are the times that I want to look back and remember. Carson has been a lot of fun lately and is constantly making us laugh. It was a great weekend spent with family and friends. We also were able to get some projects done around the house that we have been wanting to do for a while now.

On Saturday, i woke up bright and early to get in 10 miles before it got too hot. Saturdays are usually my longer run days and I have been really enjoying it. Having a couple hours of peace and quiet is therapeutic for me! After my run, I came home and made some protein waffles and got cleaned up. Our whole family decided last minute to take a trip up north to Prescott so we quickly loaded up the car and were on our way!

We Spent some time by the lake and Roxy decided it was a good idea to go swimming and chase the ducks!

The Whole gang with Katy the selfie taker :)

We had a great time up north even though it was just for a few hours!

On Sunday morning, we went to church and then decided to do some projects around the house. One thing that we have been wanting to do for a while now is fix our front door. We had a ugly security door on the front and I’m not sure why it has taken us this long to take it down and paint our front door, but that is what we did and it turned out even better than i thought!

After working on the house all day, we were wiped and decided to grab a quick dinner at the habit and called it a night!

Monday we pretty much did nothing. Which was perfectly ok with us. We went to the gym in the morning, did a little cleaning, and did some baking of course! I made some Healthy peanut butter cookies that I plan on sharing here soon. All in all, it was a great weekend and feel so full of thanks going into the week ahead. Now that labor day has come and gone, we are so ready for fall and all the exciting things that come with this season!

After Carson was born, I had a really hard time getting back into my workout routine. I have always been an active person but after you have a baby your whole world practically changes. I had a new schedule, a new body, and a new life! Everything kinda just got thrown out the window once I had Carson. At first, I had a really hard time adjusting to everything and working out was the last thing on my mind those first couple months. But once I started, I never looked back and it has become a part of my everyday life.

I started slowly getting back into running when Carson was about 8 weeks old. My mom came running with me those first few times back and it was so nice to have some accountability and encouragement. I was amazed by how out of shape I was and there were so many times I felt discouraged, but I pushed through and just took it one work out at a time. So for the first 3 or 4 months, I didn’t do a ton of working out, mostly just running a few miles every couple days. When Carson was about 4 months old is when I really started making it a priority. At first, it was really difficult finding the time and figuring out when the best time was to go for a run or do an insanity workout. I couldn’t have done it without Jordan’s help and encouragement.

This was my time from back in April and below is my time from this morning. Working out and running takes time and patience. It doesn’t happen overnight.

I shaved over 2 minutes off my time. I love looking back at my previous runs, it motivates me and shows me how far I have come.

So I decided to list 5 things that I believe have really made all the difference in making working out a priority. Of course, this list is what I believe has worked for me, but it may not be the same for someone else. I also have not paid for a gym membership once, which has been really nice. There were so many times I wanted to join the gym and just stick Carson in the daycare, but I pushed through the urge and found new ways to work out to keep things exciting. My wallet thanks me for it!

#1- It’s not about IF, it’s about WHEN- I would say this is the biggest and most important thing to remember. There were so many times when I didn’t want to go running, but I did it anyways. I changed my outlook on it and instead of saying “if I get to go for a run today” I say “when I go for my run today.” Even Jordan has caught on and no longer asks me “are you gonna go for a run today?” He knows me well enough now that he just immediately asks “what time are you going running today?”

#2-There is always enough time- There are many days when I wanted to use this as an excuse. Especially, since Jordan leaves for the gym around 5:45 and then heads straight to work. So that meant some days I had to get up at 5am to get my workout in before he left for work and before Carson woke up. I made the time and I made it a priority. I don’t typically like working out in the mornings, but once I do I am so glad that I did it and got it out of the way.

#3 -Work out with the baby- Some women probably hate doing this but I actually really enjoy it. A lot of times this can be easier said than done though. It definitely makes things a little harder, but sometimes you just have to think outside of the box a little bit. Thanks to Jordan, most days I can get in a workout by myself, but there are some days that are jam packed and I have to take Carson with me. A lot of the time I will jog with him in the stroller for a couple miles and then stop at a grassy park and do some sprints. Carson really enjoys getting out and finds it hilarious watching me try to run fast.

#4 –Plan out your workouts- This is a big one for me. Since I don’t have a gym membership, I really have to plan out my workouts in advance. I know Jordan and I’s schedule like the back of my hand. We have bible studies, family dinners, work, and many other different activities and events going on throughout the week so I make it a point to schedule my workouts. That means not every day is the same. Some days I work out at 5am and other days I work out around 1 or sometimes even at night. It changes all the time, so communication WITH Jordan is really important. Every night before we go to sleep I say “okay, so when you get home from this, I’m going to go for a run before blah blah blah” or some nights I will just tell Jordan I’m going to workout with Carson tomorrow that way we can spend the day together when you get home from work. I make it a point to keep Jordan in the loop, even if it seems silly. I feel like communication, especially with a baby, is so so important, not just with scheduling workout times but with anything. Jordan now knows that running and working out is important to me and is a priority for me. At first, that took him a while to get used to, but once he got the hang of it, it has really helped and even keeps me accountable.

#5 –Accountability- I feel like this is probably a no-brainer for everybody, but it really makes such a big difference. My mom and I go running together a lot and it helps so much! We will get to talking and before we know it, we have ran 5 miles! Schedule times to meet up with others to workout. Or better yet, workout with your spouse. This is a little harder to do now that we have a little one, but Jordan and I love going mountain bike riding together. It is so much fun, that it doesn’t even feel like a workout. A few weeks ago, a group of ladies from my church went hiking. It was probably the last thing that I wanted to do at 6am on a Saturday morning but I had already promised that I was going. Before I knew it, we had hiked 6 miles! We were all chatting and enjoying each other’s company, the time just flew right by! So make it a point to have people in your life that will challenge you, push you, and encourage you to stay the course and most of all somebody that you trust and enjoy working out with.

I am definitely not an expert, but this is personally what has worked for me and my family. I still have so much to learn and so much to improve on, but if there is one thing I have learned is that it takes time and patience. Most importantly, exercise should not be the top priority. God wants us to treat our bodies like temples, this means exercising and eating healthy, but also giving our bodies the proper amount of rest. I know I have struggled in the past with exercising excessively. There were days I would workout 2 or 3 times a day and hardly eat anything. I was most definitely not treating my body the way God designed for us to. I now have a much healthier lifestyle and I think becoming a mom has helped me embrace my body. My body is not perfect and I am learning that that is ok. I will always have saggy skin just below my belly button and the stretch marks that look like a tiger molested me. But I grew a beautiful baby inside of my short, 5ft frame. For that, I am thankful for my body and love my mombod; stretch marks and all.

Hi there! I am Savana Duncan and welcome to The Duncan Diaries! This is where I share about our life, DIY Projects, recipes, the joys of motherhood and more! Jesus is my passion and coffee is my fuel! So glad you are here!